Drew Wade has been the Chief Operating Officer of West Alabama Bank in Reform, Ala. since 2007. Wade graduated from Pickens Academy in 1989 and then attended Marion Military Institute before graduating from the University of Alabama with a bachelors degree in business in 1994. In 1994, Wade started his career at West Alabama Bank, the bank that his grandfather, John Wade, started as The Bank of Reform in 1944 and his father, Andrew C. “Bubba” Wade worked at from 1963 until 2017. Drew is married to the former Ashley Pate of Carrollton and has three children named William, Andrew, and Mary.

Wolfgang Lodman visited the Aliceville Museum recently with the desire of tracing his late father's path from Germany to Aliceville, where he spent time in the 1940s during the World War II POW camps. His father, Peter Klaus Lodman arrived in Aliceville on June 2, 1943 and Lodman said he believed that his dad was one of the first to arrive here in Aliceville. Lodman arrived in New York on a cargo ship, just as his father had came over to the United States and then took the train from New York to Tuscaloosa, where he then rented a car to get from Tuscaloosa to Aliceville.

Journey Detox and Recovery, LLC, founded in 2012 at Clay County Hospital by CEO Lamar Ward and CFO Kathy Evans. The program is an inpatient medical detoxification and recovery facility where all phases of recovery are managed. The program's priority is to help patients detoxify their body without putting any other chemicals into the body, such as suboxone, a drug that is used to treat pain, as well as addiction to narcotic pain relievers.

Gordo resident and councilman Terence Williamson recently won the 2019 NWTF World Friction Turkey Calling Championship. Williamson is a Construction Manager for ALDOT over the Greene, Pickens, Marion, Lamar, Fayette, Winston, and Walker Counties.
Back in February, Williamson and teammate Hunter Wallace won the Grand National Turkey Calling Contest in Nashville, Tennessee and after competing in both competitions numerous times, Williamson was finally able to win both competitions for the first time in 2019.

BY MELANIE HARVELL
Correspondent

BY BRIAN HAMILTON
Editor

 Congresswoman Terri Sewell held a Town Hall meeting at the Carrollton Service Center last Friday at 4 p.m. where she met with Pickens County constituents to discuss healthcare issues, specifically rural healthcare and the Pickens County Medical Center.
Before the Town Hall meeting, health screenings were available to all at the service center. Pickens County was Sewell’s sixth stop on her 2019 Congress in Your Community tour, which includes 14 counties in the 7th Congressional Disctrict.

BY BRIAN HAMILTON
Editor

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Locally, that includes the Robison-Geer Center, a day habilitation program with Indian Rivers Mental Health Center. The Robison-Geer Center is the only day program in Pickens County. There are currently 12 clients that come to the center daily to learn independent living skills, money management skills, along with community resource and social skills. The staff works together to come up with creative and fun ways to provide training for the individuals attending the center.

Elizabeth Rice is one of the most giving individuals in the Pickens County community. Whether it is volunteering at The Pot Luck Shop through the Mental Health Association, or spending her time working in the gift shop at the Pickens County Medical Center, Mrs. Rice is a humanitarian that we should all aspire to emulate. Pickens County Herald editor Brian Hamilton recently sat down with Mrs. Rice for an interview.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

Markevious Forte, 29, of Aliceville, was recently arrested and charged with murder and aggravated child abuse in the death of Taylor Cunningham, 4. Cunningham was taken to the Pickens County Medical Center on September 18, 2018, where he succumbed to multiple injuries. Authorities believe that the 4-year-old was already dead when arriving at the hospital.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

By Lindsey Turner, Correspondent

The Carrollton City Council met on Thursday, May 2nd to discuss several items on their agenda. Mayor Mickey Walker opened the meeting in prayer. The first order of business that Walker brought up to the committee was to appoint a member to the Board of Equalization.

Ultimately, the council decided to appoint David Stokes.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

Pickens County College and Career Center's Teacher Cadet program, which is headed up by Instructor Haley McGee, includes 10th-12th grade students from Aliceville High School, Gordo High School, Pickens County High School, and Pickens Academy who have a desire to become teachers.

Carlee Jane Criswell, a 14-year-old from Reform, is the winner of the seventh annual Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association Big Gobbler Photo Contest.

The contest, open to hunters who took turkeys in Alabama’s 23-county Black Belt region during the 2018-19 season, drew 27 entries. Carlee Jane wins a prize package worth $175 for attracting the most votes on the ALBBAA website – AlabamaBlackBeltAdventures.org.

By Lindsey Turner, Correspondent

The 3rd annual Carrollton Bunny Hop was held on Saturday, April 20th at the Courthouse Square. The event was sponsored by the Carrollton Beautification Committee and was hosted by the community, along with several local churches and organizations. Myra Shufflebarger, who helped coordinate the Bunny Hop, says that the committee decided to start this event after the Face In The Window Festival, which is also hosted by the Carrollton Beautification Committee, and helps raise money for the beautification of the town.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

Pickens Academy will move in a new direction this fall, as Wade Goodman steps aside to give way to new head football coach Scotty Pennington. Goodman will remain on staff as girls basketball and softball coach, while Pennington will assume the football and weightlifting duties. Pennington will also serve as assistant athletic director.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

On Thursday, April 18th, Pickens and surrounding counties endured massive damage and power outages, causing much of the county to spend Easter weekend without power, while cleaning up trees and debris from the storm. The damage was due in part to 60-70 mph straight line winds that blew apart tin roofs and uprooted trees and power lines. Pickens County Herald Editor Brian Hamilton recently sat down with Pickens County’s Alabama Power Business Office Manager Andrea Ellis to discuss the situation.

By Ginger Pearson, Correspondent

On Thursday, April 25, I went to Aliceville Elementary School to cover a story about a former student donating school supplies and by the time I left, realized that I had three intriguing stories in one. I would like to introduce you to two special ladies and how their love for children and education brought them together to benefit the children of Aliceville Elementary School.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

The Pickens County Commission meeting on April 23rd was short and sweet, as usual, with the biggest change being that Representative Bobby Bain took over as commission chairman for Commissioner Mark Gray.

The commission began by discussing new business, where they approved the hire of Katherine Thomas as appraisal clerk, which is effective as of May 6th. Commissioner Drew Elmore made the motion to appoint Thomas, which was seconded by Jerry Fitch. The motion passed unanimously.

By Ginger Pearson, Correspondent

The City of Aliceville Council met on April 24th and began the meeting by discussing unfinished business. The first item discussed was the rental agreement for the old National Guard armory for events. City Attorney John Russell III spoke concerning the need to establish regulations. Russell recommended that alcoholic beverages not be served at events there.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

The April 15th Pickens County Board of Education Meeting began by recognizing the Pickens County College and Career Center students who competed at the HOSA state competition in Montgomery last month.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

Ginny Lee began her career with First National Bank of Aliceville as a junior in high school, when she took a summer job, which she parlayed into her current position, as the Chief Financial Officer of the Tuscaloosa FNB branch. Pickens County Herald editor Brian Hamilton sat down for an interview with Ginny in Tuscaloosa recently.

Q: How did you get your start in the banking industry?

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

Carrollton’s Court Square Coffee held a book signing on Monday, April, 15th for a mother and son duo from Tuscaloosa. Erich Wildgrube’s book “The Empress and the Archer” was available for purchase and signing, while his mother, Paula Wildgrube, was also there with her book titled “To CATch a Thief”.